Meet the Microsoft Executive Behind the Company's Major New Paid Leave Policy

With the issue of paid leave at the forefront, it's always refreshing to see influential companies put into effect policies that embolden employees to take time off to care for a new child or a sick family member.

In a LinkedIn announcement today, Microsoft's Chief People Officer, Kathleen Hogan, wrote that the company is effecting a new global benefit for their employees: family caregiver leave. The benefit allows Microsoft employees in 22 countries (and the remaining countries in the coming months) to take up to four weeks of fully paid leave to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition. Microsoft is one of the only companies worldwide to offer this benefit. And with the cultural conversation largely focused on parental leave, the company is taking a huge step to expand the conversation of what paid leave means and who should qualify for it.

"In all these scenarios, the birth of a child, one’s own health needs, or the needs of a close family member, one thing is certain: Employees need flexibility and support to make a decision that’s best for them," writes Hogan.

The new benefit is personal for Hogan. As a breast cancer survivor, she's "met many other cancer patients whose situations required family members to dedicate countless hours to support their treatment plans and stand at their sides. Some had to navigate the dilemma of balancing work and caring for their loved one–a choice that is incredibly difficult."

Glamour chatted with Hogan to get a look at how the benefit will impact employees, and got her best advice on what women can do to advocate for better policies at their companies.

You’re Chief People Officer at Microsoft (what a job title!). Can you tell us your favorite and the hardest part about your job?

I’m humbled to represent our employees across the globe. My job is really to listen and learn from them, and make decisions that help us create an empowering culture where everyone can do their best work. One aspect I really love is working closely with our CEO, Satya Nadella, because he’s been such a champion for our culture transformation. When your CEO is talking about and reflecting the culture you want to have at your company, that creates a great partnership with HR. The hardest part of my job is balancing my time. I wear a lot of hats in this role: I’m Nadella's HR person, I lead a team of HR professionals, and I represent all employees at Microsoft, so I’m always thinking about where I might need to invest more energy.

How is Microsoft’s new caregiver leave benefit personal for you?

We decided to offer this benefit based on the many responses we had from employees around the globe who shared their stories of taking care of a very ill parent or child, while trying to invest in their career. I’ve personally seen the toll that taking care of a sick family member has had on my colleagues, as they’ve struggled to balance work and act as a caregiver. I believe our career journeys involve times where we are able to invest extra energy in our jobs, and other times when we need to take our foot off the gas to focus on ourselves, our family, or a friend. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I needed time to fight through chemotherapy and radiation, as well as both mental and physical recovery—all while taking care of my son. My team at Microsoft really supported me through that time, and it meant a lot to know they wanted me return to my full capacity when I was ready and able.

In the United States 114 million people have no paid family leave to care for a new child or sick family member. What do you think needs to happen for more companies to prioritize paid leave?

I actually think employees are helping drive this in the competitive marketplace, because they are choosing to work for companies that offer a diverse and inclusive culture. At Microsoft, we think of diversity and inclusion in very broad terms, which is why in 2015, we enhanced our Parental Leave benefit to extend the time that all parents–including fathers–could take to care for their children. We certainly need to keep having conversations around this important topic so we can learn from one another and collaborate on what’s best for the workforce.

I’m so proud that we’re able to offer this benefit on a global basis. As you can imagine, it’s no small task to roll this out across the world and align with local laws and requirements. This is an important benefit allowing us to support our employees and enabling them to make a decision in the best interest of their families.

What is your best advice for women who are advocating for better paid family leave at their companies?

In our experience, employees are often the catalysts for new and leading-edge benefits, because they help us understand what matters to them. I encourage all of our employees to talk with their managers, HR, and leaders about issues that are important to them. If you have an opportunity to provide feedback in a company survey or other type of listening tool at your job, definitely use those resources.